Shanell Says ‘Nobody’s Bitch’ Mixtape Is a ‘Party,’ New Album Shows Vulnerability

At a moment when Kanye West announced he recorded a song called "Perfect Bitch," an ode to his girlfriend Kim Kardashian, Young Money songstress Shanell's upcoming mixtape, titled Nobody's Bitch, could not be more timely -- though it was purely coincidental.

"I've been working behind the scenes with other people or just on my own project coming up through the whole game and just the industry," Shanell tells The BoomBox of the inspiration behind the title. "That's just something I wanted to yell at people and I'm saying it now."

Starting out as a choreographer and background dancer for Ne-Yo and Ciara, Shanell used her music industry connections to land songwriting credits and eventually signed with Lil Wayne's label. Before she releases her official debut album next year, Nobody's Bitch arrives as mostly a fusion of hip-hop, pop and electro dance tracks, centered around after-hours living -- from the club to the bedroom.

"I think the mixture is just the music," she explains. "But me I'm pretty much consistent throughout every song. From 'None Tonight' to 'F Me Daddy,' to 'Last Time' [featuring labelmate Busta Rhymes], it's just being in control and saying what's real and not apologizing for it."

Although Nobody's Bitch is full of stand-your-ground tracks rather than pity party songs, Shanell reveals that her untitled new album, due next summer, will uncover her vulnerable side. "This is the party, this is the strong girl," the California native admits. "The album is more [for] when you get home and you kick your shoes off and you spend the night by yourself."

When asked if she had any emotional moments while recording recently, Shanell made a deep sigh.

"Oh yeah," she shares. "Like every strong woman and every strong man has that side of them that they've broken down. So I'm going to save that for the album."